US Closes Tesla Probe on Remote Driving Feature
U.S. regulators have ended an investigation into Tesla’s remote driving feature after determining it posed limited safety risk following software improvements.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reviewed the company’s “Actually Smart Summon” system, which allows users to move vehicles short distances via a smartphone, typically in parking environments. The probe covered approximately 2.6 million vehicles.
Authorities identified around 100 reported incidents linked to the feature. These cases largely involved low-speed collisions with stationary objects such as parked cars, garage doors or gates. No injuries, fatalities, airbag deployments or major crashes were recorded.
Regulators concluded that the frequency and severity of these incidents did not justify further enforcement action. Tesla had already deployed software updates to address identified issues, including enhancements to obstacle detection, environmental awareness and system response to dynamic conditions.
The updates also targeted limitations caused by camera obstruction factors such as snow or condensation, which had contributed to early-stage errors during feature activation.
Despite the closure of this probe, Tesla’s broader autonomous driving systems remain under scrutiny. The NHTSA recently escalated its investigation into the company’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology to an engineering analysis stage, covering more than 3 million vehicles and examining reports of traffic violations and crashes.
The decision underscores a regulatory approach that differentiates between low-risk driver-assistance features and more complex autonomous systems, which continue to face heightened oversight.
